EDUC 6814 DEJ #1 Why are Video Games Good for Learning?

Quotes:
"What makes video games good for learning has little or nothing to do directly with the fact that they are games.  Furthermore, the video games that are most interesting for learning are not just any video games.  Different types of games can have different effects."
"Video games are good for learning because, among other reasons, they have the
following features:
1.   They can create an embodied empathy for a complex system
2.    They are action-and-goal-directed preparations for, and simulations of,
embodied experience
3.   They involve distributed intelligence via the creation of smart tools
4.   They create opportunities for cross-functional affiliation
5.   They allow meaning to be situated
6.  They can be open-ended, allowing for goals and projects that meld the
personal and the social"
" The cutting edge of games and learning is not in
video game technology—although great graphics are wonderful and technical
improvements are important.  The cutting edge is realizing the potential of games for
learning by building good games into good learning systems in and out of classrooms and
by building the good learning principles in good games into learning in and out of school
whether or not a video game is present."


Reference:
Gee, J. P., & Morgridge, T. (n.d.). Why Are Video Games Good For Learning?. In http://www.academiccolab.org. Retrieved January 25, 2012, from http://www.academiccolab.org/resources/documents/MacArthur.pdf



Response:
A new view on games... As a teacher, I've witnessed the motivation and sincere interest when I tell my students, "we are playing a game in science today".  The mere mention of the word "game", I thought, meant students are interested, therefore good learning will take place.  So, the operative words are; good for learning.  After reading this article, I've concluded that well-designed games are imperative for good learning.  To think about learning principles in games, and using the same learning principles in other curricula is a new connection for me.  Since reading the article, I've had conversations with colleagues about the types of games that we think are beneficial to our students.  The theme of these conversations centered around the idea that we normally choose trivia, memorization, recall, list and define types of games.  Games that focus on learning content mainly on the lowest level of Bloom's.  Hopefully, throughout this course I will be able to design, implement, and recognize games with the learning principles for good learning.



Additional Resource:

Serious Games: Incorporating Video Games into the Classroom

"Today’s schoolchildren bear the label Generation N or the Net Generation because they have grown up in a networked world where technology is not a novelty but normal in everyday life. Current research suggests Net Gen students are more likely to engage in online games than to interact with other students or the instructor when in face-to-face learning environments.¹ The K–12 arena in particular—often lacking the technology that students expect in the classroom—has faced an uphill battle to engage these students.Technological advances in the new millennium may evoke disquiet among administrators and teachers taxed with understanding how to harness new capabilities and merge them with sound pedagogy. To understand how gaming might bridge the gap between student interest and how lessons are taught, graduate students in science education at North Carolina State University (NCSU) took an online course that incorporated role-playing games."

Annetta, L. A., Murray, M. R., Laird, S. G., Bohr, S. C., & Park, J. C. (2006). Serious Games: Incorporating Video Games in the Classroom. Educause Quarterly, 29(3). Retrieved from http://www.educause.edu/EDUCAUSE+Quarterly/EDUCAUSEQuarterlyMagazineVolum/SeriousGamesIncorporatingVideo/157412